The Art, Soul, and Science of an Interdependent Nature

Environmental Education

I am privileged to be the mentor to a group of exceptional young adults at Colegio Americano and at Bachillerato Anahuac near Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico. These young people operate a very special environmental education program. Here is a description of that program written by one of the group leaders, David Ruiz Pardo:

"We are a group of Mexican high school students who wish to make a difference. We are concerned about our environment and are aware of the power that we have in our hands to build a new conscientiousness for Nature within our society. We believe that education is an important conservation tool. That's why we offer an environmental education program for other students in our school and for all young people in our community. With the help of a knowledgeable mentor, we are the teachers. Using a Socratic teaching style, we emphasize the value of every specie in the world and show how they are interconnected. We show that, even if one link is missing, it could be catastrophic. We believe that we are the future change agents of this world as we offer our fresh minds."

"We are very fortunate to live in one of the relatively few places in the world where we have a living ecological classroom and laboratory very close by. It is an important protected estuary within our community of Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico. By conducting part of our program at this estuary, our students can experience the awe and wonder of Nature."

"Each learning experience consists of a 45 minutes introductory talk in a regular classroom a few days before the field trip to the estuary. In this talk, we emphasize how everything is connected and why the estuary contributes to the ecological resilience of the adjoining Sea of Cortez . During the two hour field trip, our students participate in small discussion groups at specific locations within the sanctuary. The subjects of these discussions include flora, fauna, man's impact on the estuary, and an exercise in examining some important ecological connections within the estuary."

"While our program is still in its early stages, we have made four presentations with rewarding results. Through our Socratic teaching style and by utilizing high school students as teachers, we have made an impact on these groups of bright and enthusiastic kids. We now hope to expand this program throughout our city."